Updated February 28, 2015 −
269 Clinics Listed!

All
cavalier King Charles spaniels past puppyhood should be examined annually by
a veterinary cardiologist and a veterinary ophthalmologist. The savvy
cavalier owner knows that a few CKCS breed clubs and other breed and kennel
clubs periodically offer health-testing clinics, usually in connection with
conformation shows. The cavalier clubs' clinics most often consist of a
veterinary cardiologist and/or a veterinary ophthalmologist, board
certified, who will examine a dog and render a written opinion as to the
condition of its heart and eyes, for a discounted fee.

Heart/Cardiac Tests:

The cardiologist will examine the dog's heart using a stethoscope (called
auscultation), to determine whether or not the dog has a mitral valve murmur
and what grade it is. (See Mitral Valve Disease for a discussion of the
grades of MVD murmurs.) He will prepare a written report of his cardiac
diagnosis, for the owner to take to a veterinarian for follow-up care. Ask
the cardiologist to use this
standardized report form. This is valuable
information for owners who do not already know that their cavaliers have
mitral valve disease. However, once the cavalier has been diagnosed with
MVD, it is imperative that the owner take the dog to a board certified
veterinary cardiologist regularly, at least yearly, for further examinations
of the progression of the disease and prescriptions for treatments. An owner
whose cavalier is afflicted with MVD should not rely solely upon the
periodic visits to cardiologists at health clinics for proper care of the
affected dog.

Hips, Patellas, Hearing, Thyroid, and Other Tests:

Tell Us About Other Upcoming Clinics

If you know of any up-coming clinics we have missed, please contact us at
Editor@CavalierHealth.org and let us know the particulars about them (date,
location, sponsor, tests, fees, contact information).

Updated February 28, 2015 −
269 Clinics Listed!

Check
convenient locations in Table 1, and then check the
dates and details in Table 2. Clinics sponsored
by cavalier King Charles spaniel clubs/organizations are marked with a
red
asterisk *
in Table 1 and highlighted in
red in
Table 2.

The
veterinarians examining eyes are board certified ophthalmologists by the
ACVO, and those examining hearts are board certified cardiologists by the
ACVIM, if named, unless otherwise noted. The examining
veterinarians' names are listed in (parentheticals).

Appointments
are limited at many of these clinics, and written applications and payments
may be required by fixed deadlines in advance of the clinic dates.
Some clinics accept checks or credit cards; some require cash only. You may
also be required to bring certain certifications with you, such as AKC
registration records, previous CERF or OFA registration numbers, pedigrees,
microchip or tattoo certificates, etc. Most test prices do not include
OFA or CERF registration fees, although some do. Also, clinics
sponsored by breed clubs may place restrictions on the testing of other
breeds. And, information posted is subject to change. Therefore, we
recommend that you contact the clinic sponsors for appointments as early as
possible, to assure that you will be able to have your dogs tested.

You may save
time by downloading some OFA forms from the Internet and fill them out
before going to the clinic. Many OFA forms (Congenital Cardiac,
Congenital Deafness, Hip and Elbow Dysplasia, Patellar Luxation, etc.) are
downloadable from the OFA website at
www.offa.org/applications.html Also, ask the cardiologist to use this
standardized report form for
cavalier King Charles spaniels.

For OptiGen
blood draws, check OptiGen's website for proper codes, a list of tests
available through OptiGen for your breed, and to pre-register to take
advantage of OptiGen's reduced testing rates:
www.optigen.com

For
blood draws in general, it may be recommended that the dogs fast for at
least 12 hours before the tests.

ARCH refers to the "ACVIM
Registry of Certified Health". The board certified cardiologists of the
American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) have introduced
ARCH to certify dogs' hearts are clear of mitral valve disease and other
genetic heart disorders. Most heart clinics conducted by cardiologists will
provide for ARCH registration. ARCH also certifies dogs' vision to be free
from ophthalmology disease, by the American College of Veterinary
Ophthalmologists (ACVO) board certified veterinary ophthalmologists. ARCH's
examination forms are available at
its website.

CavalierHEALTH.org provides the information on this website for your education only. No information on this website should be used for veterinary medical purposes, diagnostically, therapeutically, or otherwise. Consult a veterinarian before attempting to medically treat your dog or changing your dog's medical treatment.

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